Who's To Look After You?
by sweetlygleaming
Summary: Mared is feeling ill. Who will take care of her? Mared x Tom *Apologies if this storyline's been written about them before. Hadn't come across it. It's just a slight fluffy story I had in my head.*
1. Chapter 1

The echoing of a severe cough from someone down the hall but approaching could be heard as Tom was sat at his desk in his office space at headquarters early. He looked up disturbed from his work. Mared came in to hang her coat on the rack.

"Hi. Good morning, Tom." Mared greeted as she walked in to find him there, but her words were spoken in an unfamiliar tone. She sounded pained.

"How are you?" He questioned.

"mmmmm" Mared moaned. "I confess, I've been better."

"You look pale."

Mared gave Tom a subtle glare.

"I mean, you can't feel well at all. What ails you?"

Mared then coughed involuntarily, but it was as if on cue.

"You taking something for that?" He asked her.

Mared nodded.

She sat in her chair and put both hands to her head.

"Yes, I'll be fine. Just a cold."

In truth, Mared's head felt afire, and every joint of her body ached.

Mared studied the case file and stood going over evidence with Tom, Lloyd, and Sian. She pushed through the day trying her best not to physically display that she felt weak and exhausted. If she ever hoped to get that promotion she'd been wishing for, now was not the time to show weakness.

It turned out to be quite a long day. The detective team was about to solve a big case. They were putting hours and hours of work in.

Night came to fall. Tom and Mared had gone out to an investigation site and back, now found themselves alone in the break room. Everyone had gone home for the night.

Tom was making coffee. Mared went from sitting up properly in her seat against the wall to slowly laying herself down across multiple chairs.

Tom turned to see her.

"You should probably schedule an appointment in the morning to see a doctor ."

"No," Mared spoke in a hushed tone..."I don't...I can't...I don't have time to be sick...It's just...It's just that...everything...I'm sorry...Everything aches...Agh...I need to close my eyes just for a few minutes...I feel so...achy..." Her voice trailed off. Her eyes were shut, but she continued speaking as Tom approached her. "It's freezing in here," she complained in a soft tone curling up more across the chairs. She softly and painfully moaned. Then she was silent after a few moments. Tom took off his jacket and covered her with it.

"Here," he gently spoke.

"oh...Thanks," she whispered now finding it hard to speak.

"Let me take you home, Mared...That is, drive you to your house. I'll drive your car and take a taxi back.

"I can't ask you to do that." She struggled speaking taking breaths.

"You're not asking." Tom coyly responded.

"You go continue with your work, Tom. I'm just going to rest here for a short while and meet you back at your desk."

Tom gave Mared a sympathetic look.

"OK," he answered.

Another hour passed by quickly and Mared had not returned. The building was eerie at night with the dark outside the windows and the quiet. Tom's and Mared's desk lights were the only ones remaining on and a few main tracks in the outside halls. The building felt abandoned except for a few night clerks and guards.

"Mared?" Tom went looking for her in the break room, but she was no longer there. He saw her car remained in the lot outside the window. "Mared?" He scoured the halls endlessly. No luck. Then...an epiphany. He pushed open the door to the ladies room. "Is anyone in here?" He called out. He could then tell that all of the stalls were unoccupied but one, as all but one's doors were hinged aside and open. He heard the sound of vomiting.

"Tom," It was Mared's voice.

"Take me home, please." was her sweet command in a tender voice.

"You all right? Can you stand?" He gently helped her up and kept his arm around her to steady her. When she felt more stable, she momentarily escaped his hold to clean her face and mouth at the sink.

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologise. We all have a bout of illness now and then."

"I don't want you to see me like this. I mean, you shouldn't have to deal with this."

"Don't be silly. It's ok." Tom replied in a comforting tone.

...

Mared had Tom unlock the door to the flat she shared with her parents and her daughter Elin. However, this night, Tom noticed no one was at home.

"My parents went on a holiday, and Elin...is staying at a friend's house tonight...sorry..." Mared kept apologising because she was finding it difficult to speak in a coherent tone.

"I'm a bit unsteady, but I'll be fine. Thank you, Tom, for driving me. I really appreciate it."

"Who's to look after you? He asked sweetly concerned.

"Once I get to sleep, I think I'll...be..."

"But, you've not eaten...and you're probably very dehydrated as well."

"I've no appetite...whoa..." a wave of dizziness struck Mared and Tom held onto her before she could more seriously lose her balance.

"Let me take you to your bed..." Tom spoke but shortly after was embarrassed of the unintentional undertones of his words, "...help you walk to your bedroom. I ...don't want you to hurt yourself. You're clearly both nauseaous and dizzy." Mared allowed it, for she was in no state to refuse the aid. All her symptoms suggested a diagnosis of the Flu.

"Which way to your bedroom?" Tom asked with a tender tone.

Mared had only the strength to whisper the directions. She had taken her shoes and coat off upon entering her house.

She was noticeably embarrassed through her pain as Tom helped her into bed. He covered her sweetly.

"You're tucking me in." She whispered, her tone becoming slightly delirious.

As she closed her eyes and was silent for moments, Tom pressed his hand to her forehead. She was slightly feverish.

Tom searched out Mared's kitchen for medicine successfully. He also opened her pantry. He was able to make a pot of Ginger tea which he had learned would give Mared relief. He discovered where she kept the washcloths and created a makeshift ice pack.

He woke her, so she would drink. He also provided her bedside with water and sports drinks which probably were originally stocked for Elin, but now these were to provide further hydration and restorative properties.

Tom thought to himself, at least the vomiting had ceased, or he would take her to the hospital for a hydration kit.

Mared was so exhausted, she couldn't ask Tom why he was still there. Was he staying all night?

He placed the cold cloth pack on her forehead.

"Aw, thank you. You're...a...Godsend...Tom". Her voice drifted to a quieter tone as she lost the ability to speak.

She turned slightly, and he moved the cold pack to the back of her neck.

"Mmmmhmmm" Mared wasn't expecting that but appreciated it.

...

Tom saw the clock on her bedside table. It was after midnight. Tom left Mared's bedroom and sat upon her couch. He then lay slowly and gently down across it. He decided he would stay. He hoped she wouldn't mind. He just didn't want her to have some sort of emergency in the next few hours or before daybreak with no one to tend to her...help care for her.

The sun rose. It was Saturday.

Tom awoke to the sound of a slamming door. It was Elin getting in. She walked in the living room to find Tom lying across the couch.

He sat up.

"Hello...". He spoke to calmly greet her.

"Who are you?" Elin asked in surprise. Her eyes were wider than usual with an expression of slight shock.

"You must be Elin. I'm DCI Tom Mathias. Your mum's work colleague."

"Where's my Mum? Is she...Were you..."

"Um..." He paused as a form of slight embarrassment, for he could tell Elin's teenage imagination had begun to run wild, though he thought at first she would not imply or guess at a sexual scenario between her Mum and him as he was sleeping fully clothed.

"No, your Mother became very ill at work with the Flu, and I was...worried about her."

"Where's she now?" Elin asked with her mother's sparkling blue green eyes.

"In her bedroom." He gentlemanly answered.

"You stayed the night?"

"Yes."

"To look after her?"

"Uh...Yes." He stammered this time.

"Wow." Elin's wide-eyed expression turned to grinning.

"You're a good man." She kept smiling. Tom held a more blank but receptive expression on his face. He did however slightly blush.

"Well, um...you can go now. Don't let her keep you here. I'm sure you got places to be and go. I'll see to my Mum, now. I must say, she's lucky to have you as a co-worker. You're a good sir."

"Ok,". He wanted to respect Elin's wishes. He then began to explain a medicinal plan.

"Your Mum has my number if you two need me. If she's not feeling a bit better, you should get her to schedule a doctor's appointment."

"Sure thing. Thanks again!" Elin smiled.

After she shut the door behind him, and started walking towards her mother's bedroom, she said alone, "God...Hope this doesn't become a household epidemic...Nobody has time for the Flu." The door was slightly ajar. She could see her Mum was sleeping peacefully.

Elin then pondered if she might have come across a bit rude to DCI Mathias. She was embarrassed when she thought about how she just pushed him out and her reaction to his presence. She was just not used to her Mum having men around. It made her nervous. Though DCI Mathias seemed a genuinely kind man.


	2. Chapter 2

Mared opened her eyes. Her daughter was standing in her bedroom.

"Oh. Elin, sweetheart." Mared slightly lifted herself up in the bed. "What time is it?"

"Early," Elin replied.

"You back?" Mared spoke again.

"Ma, when I came in this morning, there was a man sleeping on the couch. Found out he works with you. He just left."

"Oh," Mared began to speak in a quieter tone as if talking to herself but repeating her thoughts aloud, "Tom stayed the night." She looked down and then spoke directly to Elin.

"It's not what you think...I"

"A point to which I was assured of by Mr. Mathias himself when I sort of asked him...began to ask him..."

"Ask him what?"

"Well, what was I supposed to think? It was a shock. The circumstances and setting seemed right." Elin continued.

"Elin!" Mared blushed.

"What, Mam? I'm not at home. You were alone. Got me and Gran and grandad-all of us- out the house all night for once. I mean, he looked a bit desheveled...I mean he was clothed but sort of...rumpled...tie off, etc..."

"And that's all it takes..." Mared used a mocking tone. "He was sleeping, Elin. He's bound to look a little...rumpled...or whatever you would like to call it. Anyway, where did you think I was?"

"I don't know, Ma. The shower, maybe."

Mared couldn't stop blushing, "Well...if you've not noticed, I'm a bit under the weather."

"A fact he also explained when he denied any alleged sexual..."

"Oh, God." Mared mumbled covering her face with the palm of her hand, because she continued to blush.

"You may want to know that it was then that I asked him if he was here to take care of you. He said yes, and he blushed."

"Oh, stop it, Elin. He probably looked so because you were pestering him. Anyway, I had no notion of his staying the entire night. I was too ill or delirious to care. It won't happen again. You should not have walked in to be given a fright like that-to see a man who was a stranger to you here like that.

"Mam, I'm not a little girl, and as long as he's not a killer or a criminal, what's the problem? Who am I to say you can't have a romantic night together with someone? He seemed...nice. I discovered he's very respectful and caring of you. He also has very kind eyes. He was worried. He's given me a whole medicinal plan."

"Has he?" Mared's voice became gentle as she lay back.

"He seems a good and kind man." Elin replied. Mared's gaze held a faraway look. She was recalling the hours when Tom came to check on her in the night.

He did have kind eyes. She had to agree with her daughter, but she already knew that.


	3. Chapter 3

A new work week, and Tom entered the office to discover Mared did indeed request a few days off to recover. As the hours passed throughout the day, Tom had already begun to miss her presence. He wanted to call her to check on her, but he didn't want to disturb her if she was resting. He almost dialed her. The screen of his phone contacts read Mared, but then he clicked out second- guessing himself. He knew Mared didn't require a man's protection. She was an independent, strong woman, but Tom secretly hoped she'd take some comfort in knowing he cared and worried about her.

He did want to talk to Mared about Elin's finding him asleep on the couch. He undoubtedly knew Elin would speak of it to her mother, and he wanted to explain and apologise. He should have just told Mared he wanted to stay the night to be there for her or asked Mared's permission to do so earlier before her condition worsened. He had not thought Elin would return early.

Working alongside Sian in questioning was not the same. He wanted Mared at his side.

"Good night, Sir." Sian bid him at the end of another very long day.

Back at his caravan, Tom was exhausted as he entered his shower. Inside, bending slightly, He let the steaming hot water hit the back of his neck. It was soothing. It relaxed him. It relieved some of the day's stress. Drying himself and dressing comfortably for bed, he heard his mobile ringing. The phone read "Mared calling."

"Mared?" He answered.

"Tom...Is it too...I hope I'm not...sorry to call so late...I mean...um...excuse the hour." Mared was lying in her bed talking.

"Was there something...Is everything ok? How are you feeling?" He reacted with questions.

"Bit better." Was Mared's reply.

Tom responded with a little mumble of acknowledgement first, "mmm...that's good...good." He didn't know why they both seemed to be stuttering.

Both speaking again at once, they said, "Listen, Tom [Listen, Mared]."

"You first." Mared spoke again sweetly.

"Can I just apologise? Has Elin spoken to you?"

"Yes, she has. I know."

"I never meant for her to find me asleep. I suppose I slept longer than I intended. Anyway, it was wrong of me to not have asked permission to..."

"You are a kind man, Tom, with a good heart. I'm not calling to scold you. I am very grateful. I wanted to...thank you...for everything. I'm not sure you know how much I appreciate your looking after me. It was more than I could ever ask of you." Mared prettily spoke.

Tom whilst listening threw himself sleepily upon his bed.

"You don't ever have to ask anything of me. If there is ever anything you need, you can always just tell me what it is and what you wish."

Mared responded with a little sweet sigh of acknowledgement and then spoke again herself.

"I wish there was something I could...Anyway, I owe you." Mared replied.

"You don't owe me a thing, Mared. I...care...for you. I mean, you're the most true and loyal of friends, and you're a remarkable woman. Something I felt you should know."

Mared paused on the other end of the line biting her lip as if to hide the happy and pleasant smirk forming, though no one was present in her bedroom to see the expression forming. Her eyes were sparkling.

"Well..." Mared paused seemingly at a loss for words..."I...good night, Tom."

"Good night, Mared." Tom replied.

Both ended the call on their phones. Tom lay back and closed his eyes.


End file.
